Independence Day 2013

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capitol_fireworks_26204I decided to try a different angle for tonight’s capitol fireworks photo.  I questioned whether to even try a photo at all, since I’ve been more devoted to Daddy time than anything else.  I’ve taken an unprecedented week off from work, and am enjoying how much it has allowed me to do with my little guys and my sweetie.

Rather than photograph the Independence Day Parade this year in Mandan, I joined my little family to participate in our church’s float instead.  It was extremely rewarding, and worth missing photos of some of the cool things I’ve heard about in the parade.  I was planning on not taking any photos of the capitol fireworks display, too…but at my wife’s urging I combined family time with a little bit of “me” time:

I set up my camera with wireless transceiver with around 1,000 foot range, then went to enjoy the fireworks with my little guys on a blankie in the grass at the capitol.  I was able to use the remote and time things pretty well, getting some neat photos.  This one is my favorite.  And, as my credo goes, any photo trip one returns from with at least one good photo is a successful trip.  This one falls into that category, even though I spent most of it playing catch with my boy on the capitol lawn.

Multitasking on my vacation, you say?  Absolutely.

Time again for a Sunny Day playlist for your iPod

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If you’ve read this blog for even a few weeks, you know that I love skies. I particularly enjoy blue, sunny skies. I attribute much of this to my formative years as a boy growing up in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana. In fact, I returned to the mountains on a sabbatical to work a couple of years as a snowboard bum, working at 10,000 feet and getting closer to those blue skies than ever.

Since then I’ve seen so many forms of sunny days…long, hot drives through the New Mexico desert; lazy days out on a blanket with a Walkman and a good book; blazing sunsets and uplifting sunrises; solitary treks through the Badlands on my mountain bikes. I can’t say I’ve seen it all, but I’ve seen a lot. The memories formed thereby have fortified my love of wide open, sunny skies.

One of the best ways to capture or recall the mood of many of those sunny days is through music, and I have a series of playlists for such things. I have an intense Stargazing playlist I’ll share someday, a Sunrise/Sunset playlist which overlaps in places, and my more recent Sunny Day playlist. I was actually inspired to do the Sunny Day list when my friend Monte posted a request for sunny day music suggestions on his Facebook page. It didn’t take long.

This is by no means comprehensive, but it’s a good first draft. There’s a link to each song on iTunes if it’s available, although a good chunk of music in my collection is very hard to find.

Perfect for a sunny photography outing, here’s an eclectic mix ranging from mostly alternative to fusion jazz to classic rock and all points in between, here’s my Sunny Day Playlist, version 1.0:

The War on Drugs – Comin’ Through

Craft Spells – Party Talk

The Clean – Stars

Memory Tapes – Wait in the Dark

Republic Tigers – Buildings and Mountains

Primal Scream – Higher Than the Sun

MillionYoung – Hammocks

Frightened Rabbit – Swim Until You Can’t See Land

Generationals – Ten Twenty Ten

Crocodiles – Sleep Forever

The Radio Dept. – Heavens on Fire

Citay – Careful With That Hat

America – Ventura Highway

The Go-Betweens – Cattle and Cane

Ringo Deathstarr – So High

Washed Out – New Theory

Innocence Mission – Keeping Awake

B-52’s – She Brakes for Rainbows

The Jesus and Mary Chain – Head On

Amon Tobin – One Day In My Garden (Instrumental)

Love Tractor – I Broke My Saw

Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas

The Daysleepers – Summerdreamer

Fleetwood Mac – You and I, Part II

Grasshopper Takeover – Up and On My Way

Guadalcanal Diary – Litany (Life Goes On)

The Love Language – Heart to Tell

Jamaica – Jericho

Throwing Muses – Dizzy

The Dylans – I Hope the Weather Stays Fine

Cloud Cult – Lucky Today

Math and Physics Club – Love or Loneliness

Herman Dune – I Wish That I Could See You Soon

Stranglers – Always the Sun

Truckasauras – Angels Sound Like Bottle Rockets

Ten Bears – Braces

Cinammon Chasers – Luv Deluxe (Instrumental)

Kitchens of Distinction – Drive That Fast

Love Tractor – Fun to be Happy (Instrumental)

Ian Brown – Northern Lights

Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies – Boogie King

Yppah – Again with the Subtitles

Material Issue – Valerie Loves Me

Missing Persons – Walking In L.A.

Throw Me The Statue – About To Walk

Laura Veirs – July Flame

Sheryl Crow – Soak Up The Sun

Spyro Gyra – Bob Goes to the Store (Instrumental)

Wall Of Voodoo – Lost Weekend & On Interstate 15 (Instrumental)

Dreadzone – A Dream Within a Dream (Instrumental)

The High Dials – Teenage Love Made Me Insane

One Dove – Breakdown (Radio Mix)

Peter Gabriel – Solsbury Hill

Pink Martini – Anna (El Negro Zumbon)

Slowdive – Rutti

The Sundays – Here’s Where the Story Ends

Pixies – Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf Mix)

The One AM Radio – Sunlight

Surfer Blood – Swim (To Reach the End)

The Expendables – Wells

Stone Roses – She Bangs the Drums

Chad Valley – Fast Challenges

Aberfeldy – Summer’s Gone

Forro In The Dark – Perro Loco

Deer Tick – These Old Shoes

Tennis – Marathon

Big Spider’s Back – Warped

Ganglians – Jungle

Gui Boratto – No Turning Back

REM – Near Wild Heaven

Royal Crescent Mob – Nanana

Luke Graner – Drops (Homemade Music version)

The Farm – Groovy Train

Daysleepers – Loved by the Sun

Diesel – Sausalito Summernight

Blue Sky Black Death – Sleeping Children Are Still Flying

Frankie Knuckles – Whistle Song (Instrumental)

Rephrase – Oldtimer

General Public – Taking the Day Off (Instrumental)

Hectic Redd – The Thumb

Joe Satriani – Surfing with the Alien (Instrumental)

The Ladybug Transistor – Fallen and Falling

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter – In the Summertime

Nickodemus – Sun Children

Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros – Chickens in Love

Jazzhole – Free the Robots (Instrumental)

The Joy Formidable – The greatest light is the greatest shade

There we have it, for now…I’m sure I’ll update it along the way. If you hear something on this list that seems really out of place or makes you wonder, “What does this have to do with a sunny day?” it probably is a song that triggers a memory for me. Any suggestions? Use the “Contact Me” link on the upper right of this page.

Classic: So how do those letters and numbers appear in the capitol windows every July 4th, Christmas, and New Year’s Day?

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Monday night some of these windows will be lit up with “4TH” as part of the Independence Day celebration on the front steps of the capitol. Every year the celebration features the music of the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra and finishes with a dramatic fireworks finale. Have you ever found yourself wondering how those numbers or colored Christmas tree shapes appear in the capitol building’s windows every July and December?

That’s where Bill comes in. He works for the Facility Management Division up at the state capitol, and it’s Bill and his crew who oversee the window shade pulling (and opening) to make sure it’s done right.

While Bill can pretty much do this by habit now, he does have an interesting aid: a diagram of the capitol with the relevant squares (the ones to be lit) highlighted. Facility Management and Bill were kind enough to let me tag along for this year’s window shade operation.

Bill has his custodial crew of around thirty people close all the shades on the front of the capitol as well as the east and west sides. The idea is to have the sides completely blacked out for the celebration, with the “4TH” visible only on the front. Once the crew closed all the shades on those three sides, Bill and I roamed the necessary floors and pulled open the shades forming the text.

Some windows are in spacious offices, and some are in pretty tight spots such as narrow supply rooms. Some are in such tough spots that I got to lend my lanky arms to Bill’s aid in order to snag & pull the cord. Because of that, I can lay claim to part of the 4 and (I think) the H!

The whole process took about a half hour, and I don’t think I held up Bill at all. This was an easy one; the letters were small and compact, and only one side is lit. During Christmas there is the complication of colored shades and two sides to do. For New Year’s there are four sides of the building to do. Also, for displays that are left up for more than one night, it’s important to stay on top of things to make sure the right shades are up and down and lights left on.

I originally posted on this a few years ago and wrote an article for the Dakota Beacon as well. Later on the local TV stations picked up on the story, probably around Christmas time when the windows were decorated again. It’s one of those little things that makes Bismarck-Mandan special!

Tree with a view

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Here’s something I never expected: to be out photographing auroras Friday night instead of tucked snugly into my bed! I was caught off guard by a sudden impulse warning from the Space Weather Prediction Center, and took off to catch any auroras that developed.

My ace in the hole: friends on patrol for local law enforcement who can let me know if it’s worth saddling up the truck and throwing my gear therein. I got a text that the auroras were “crackin!” and that was all I needed.

Things didn’t pan out at the first place I went to, but I did notice this little tree in the middle of nowhere as I went looking for a suitable foreground object. I figured it would do just fine, and I was right.

You can bet I’ll have a better plan for the next time the auroras spike! I have dozens of places marked in my GPS, it’s just a matter of being ready to bolt there at a moment’s notice.

If I had a boat

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I’d take it to the river with my boy! As luck would have it, he had his own boat, which he bought with his own money at a rummage sale today. We were on a mission: get some fresh river water for the tadpoles they brought home last week, see if the new-used boat floats, and (of course) throw rocks into the water and see who can make the biggest splash.

I’ve been so busy for the past several months that I have barely had time to breathe, but this little excursion tonight marks the beginning of something I haven’t taken in a long, LONG time: a vacation. My little guys have already given me an itinerary for the week that is pretty ambitious, but I hope that some of the time will involve cameras. Naturally the fruits of any such photography will show up here.

By the way, the title of this post is an homage to the song by Lyle Lovett, but best performed by Tucker’d Out. They’re my favorite bluegrass/folk band from Fargo, originating from the guys I worked with at KVLY/KXJB TV. Check ’em out here.

Ifff it’s the same on both sides, is it an accident?

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I noticed this sign the other day and had to do a double-take. Yep…three Fs. 50% more fffun, I suppose. Of course, I had to check the other side, and yes, it does have the same anomaly. That raises the question, is this a ploy to catch the eye, or a mistake somehow duplicated on each side of the sign?


That reminded me of this mistake, on the door of an old truck near the hiking trail along the Mandan side of the Missouri River. It isn’t a typing error when it’s hand-painted!

I don’t know why I find such sign oddities so fascinating, but it was kind of fffunny to spot this latest one.

Something cool that’ll be back to normal this Independence Day

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Sunset shots like this were a bit problematic during 2012. The reason was the assortment of stuff hanging off the side of the building. The seals around the windows needed repair and the limestone was due for a major cleaning, and crews spent a long time working evenings and weekends to make those things happen. As you can see, their gear does show up even from a distance (at least with the right lens).

Not only did it cause some consternation for photographers, but it also put a little bump in the road for the Independence Day celebration. Normally the Symphony would set up on the capitol steps, but because of the necessary safe boundary area they were forced to be down on the lawn like the rest of us.

Thankfully things are going to be back to normal this year. I’m super excited for Independence Day this year, despite some wrinkles in some long-made plans. It’s going to be a great week to be in Bismarck-Mandan, and I’m hoping I can dust the cobwebs off the cameras and capture some of it to post! After the whirlwind that has been 2013, as evidenced by the trickle of photos posted on this site, I’m long overdue for some camera time. My sweetie agrees.

Flag Day, and one other important bit of American History

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Today is Flag Day, a holiday that goes back informally to the early days of our nation’s founding. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (PDF), however, “Both President Wilson, in 1916, and President Coolidge, in 1927, issued proclamations asking for June 14 to be observed as the National Flag Day. But it wasn’t until August 3, 1949, that Congress approved the national observance, and President Harry Truman signed it into law.”

This is a photo of the flag flying proudly over the parking lot of Arrowhead Plaza in Bismarck on the morning of December 12th, 2009. I was early for a meeting nearby, so I meandered over to the lot to catch the colors for a few minutes. Shortly afterward I found myself sitting between the Attorney General and Secretary of State, drinking orange juice and taking in a very fascinating briefing.

Today, June 14th, also marks a significant even in our nation’s history. In 1954, Congress passed a joint resolution adding the words “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. On June 14th of that year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law. This has at times been controversial, although only to people who tend to affiliate themselves with a particular political party (ahem).

Display the flag proudly if you have the means to do so! Governor Jack Dalrymple has put out a proclamation “encouraging North Dakotans to observe the days from Flag Day through Independence Day as a time to honor America, to celebrate our rich heritage, and to express our gratitude to those who have secured our freedoms and to those who defend them still today.” Amen to that.

On a slant

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No, it’s not at Fort Abraham Lincoln. Yes, it truly is on a slant. The remains of this farmstead are cleverly tucked beneath the boughs of this tree along Highway 1806, just south of Mandan. Who knows…maybe that mighty tree was a mere sapling while the home was built and occupied.

That’s one thing that makes these “Fallen Farms” so appealing to my eye that they merit their own category on this blog. The fact that these structures were new at one time, were home at one time, and were abandoned at one time is fascinating to ponder. Their presence dotting the landscape of rural North Dakota is both sad and charming at the same time.

Home on the Range…the High Dynamic Range, that is

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I captured this Fallen Farm on an overcast day southwest of Mandan. By snapping multiple exposures I was able to capture a bright exposure, a medium exposure, and a dark exposure of the same frame. That allowed the camera to acquire detail in the shadows of the dark house, the highlights of the sky, and everything in between. Then it was up to Photoshop to smack ’em together.

I’ve been slow to dabble in HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography because I have seen so many examples of it done badly. HDR can be used to do some really cool, artistic things if you like…but in my opinion its best use is in capturing detail throughout a wide range of shadows and highlights (thus, high dynamic range). When I find a shot that works well with HDR to do so, then I play around with it.

This technique can also be used to make some artistic but not very appealing (to me, this is subjective) images. I’m more interested in the hyper-realistic qualities of HDR imagery, and a very few, well-planned shots lend themselves well to this technique. It sure is fun, though, when you come across such an opportunity. I hope to find more of these in the future and, of course, share them here.